06th July 2018

Parent Notices

The Autumn Term starts on Thursday, 6th September.

IAPS athletics national finals results

On Tuesday Hermione, Charlie and Oscar from Year 8 had a very successful day at the IAPS National Athletics Finals in Birmingham, having qualified at the regionals in Abingdon last month. Against strong competition, Charlie performed well in javelin, as did Hermione, who came 5th in the 800m and Oscar came 4th in the long jump. Oscar is on a particularly good roll having recently broken two school records including the 1988 200m record, and the long jump record which had stood since the 1960s! True to form he took silver in the 200m at the National Finals on Tuesday. Very well done to all three of you for some stirling effort in scorching temperatures.

Summer concert success story

We were treated to a glorious Summer concert in the Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday night. Well done to all those who took part. Your confidence and talents stood out a mile and you were a joy to watch.

Preparing the Year 8s for life beyond Beaudesert

The Year 8s’ post-CE wellbeing programme has continued apace as the term draws to a close. Talks and workshops have covered pertinent topics including sex, relationships, drugs, fitness and body image. As ever, e-Safety remains high on the agenda, and on Monday afternoon, the children had a very informative session with Rachel Melville Thomas who is a child psychotherapist from Cheltenham College. Along with gap students Alex, Molly and Hunter, she spoke about what might be expected from the Year 8s as they move up to their senior schools, and about some of the temptations with which they may be faced as screens become an even greater aspect of their lives. They discussed the addictive nature of screen time and gaming as well as some of the consequences they may face as a result of decisions they make in regards to social media.

He’s done it! 50 Things a Headmaster should do before retiring

It’s official! We can confirm that in this, his last week as Headmaster, Mr Womersley has ticked off the last few items on his list of ’50 Things a Headmaster should do before Retiring’. Since the list was devised in January Mr Womersley has taken seriously the challenge of working through every one of the activities demanded of him – from serving lunch to knitting, and from making a pot to taking an e-Safety session. We hope he has learned some new skills along the way, with walking the plank being the latest string to add to his bow as this week saw him taking part in Nursery’s end of term Pre-prep pirate party!

Year 4 Deer Group play – Sleeping Beauty

The Deer Group Year 4s did themselves proud this week with a performance of Sleeping Beauty that was a spectacle to behold. This was a play with a difference for it was an example of devised theatre, so that much of it was created organically and collaboratively, and led by the performers – i.e. the children – entirely independently of staff intervention. It resulted in a lively and entertaining performance made all the more so by the fact that the whole cast was on the stage for the whole run.

A brilliant Friends of Beaudesert Centenary ball

Parents, staff, friends and family enjoyed a sunny and very jolly Centenary ball in the grounds last weekend. A particular highlight was the unveiling of the special Centenary artwork complete with the children’s handprints – a snapshot of the people who are here making Beaudesert what it is today – 100 years on since the school first came to Gloucestershire. Thank you to the Friends of Beaudesert for organising such a beautiful and celebratory event for us all to enjoy.

The Dahl Cup creative writing competition – this term’s winner!

When the Year 5 Set 1 English group began reading Roald Dahl’s whimsical accounts of childhood in his book Boy at the beginning of the school year, so enthralled were they, that when Mr Curr introduced a termly creative writing competition, they decided to name it ‘The Dahl Cup’.

The first term’s winner was Rose who delighted the guest judge with her descriptions of an owl perched high up in a tree, “like a kite released to its full extent, straining against the spool.” In the spring term the winner was Caspar with his chilling tale of an escape from an inexplicably angry dwarf. Now this term’s winner has been announced! Honor is the new holder of the Dahl cup, having pipped her competitors to the post with her moving First World War Centenary-inspired poem That Lonely Room. Mr MacIntosh presented her with the cup to a well-deserved round of applause.

Well done to all of you for some brilliant work.

Friends of Beaudesert Year 3 Scavenger Hunt

Many thanks to the Friends of Beaudesert for organising another super scavenger hunt for the Year 3s this week. Split into mixed groups, the children scoured the grounds in search of cryptic clues on a testing trail which eventually led the winning team to their quarry. After an excitable couple of hours in the sunshine, everyone deserved the ice cream reward for completing the challenge.

U9s Tennis on Tuesday

Some of our Year 4s played their very first tennis fixture against St Edward’s on Tuesday. They each had two singles matches and a doubles match. It was great to see everyone practising their overarm serves, and all the children also demonstrated that they can score a game correctly. It was a very close event which resulted in a tie overall.

Weekend cricket to round off the season

Last weekend’s matches at Abberley Hall rounded off what has been a great cricket seasons for our girls and boys alike. In particular the 1st XI boys finished their final match with a flourish, and with Charlie scoring another century.

Staff v Year 8s golf on the common

On Monday a group of Year 8s got together with staff to play golf on Minchinhampton Common. It was a lovely evening that saw 18 golfers play a total of 6 holes on the Common course. They played 3ball 6somes, which meant that each pair played alternate shots. There was some excellent golf on display by all pairs, but the overall winners were the only two ladies of the tournament – Mrs Womersley and Rosie. They were closely followed in second place by the family pairing of Mr Layton and his nephew Ben.

Staff and Year 8 tennis and BBQ

On Wednesday evening the annual staff and Year 8 tennis competition and BBQ took place. All Year 8s were involved, and nearly everyone partnered a member of staff. Battle commenced firstly with a round robin competition on each of the courts. The winners then went through to the knockout stages. Congratulations to Tilda and Mr Womersley, and Sascha and Mr Figgis for making it all the way through to the finals. Sascha and Mr Figgis finished as overall winners.

Pupils v parents’ cricket

After an excellent afternoon of ‘track and field’ during last Friday’s sports day the U11A team took on their parents at cricket. They played pairs so that it could be orchestrated that dads bowled at sons and then sons could reap revenge on their fathers later. The boys took the game very seriously and batted well, showing their skills and confidence. They posted a score of 127 in their innings of 12 overs (each pair facing two overs). The fathers lost early wickets and were struggling for a while but caught up on the run-rate and managed to win on the last ball. It was a fun event played in very good spirit and with plenty of refreshment for the boys and parents. Many thanks to everyone involved.

Fevercat for summer holiday Maths top-ups

For parents who would like something to keep their children’s Maths brain going, try Fever Cat – Beaudesert’s own maths app for both Apple and Android devices. https://fevercatarithmetic.wordpress.com

Autumn Fair Saturday 13th October – keep the date

Preparations are in full swing for what promises to be another fabulous Autumn Fair in October. Please add the date to your calendars to avoid missing out! More on this next term…